Technical Specifications

The OpenProtocols Connector allows Microsoft Outlook® to integrate with some of the largest messaging systems in the world, via open protocols
(CalDAV and CardDAV), providing the highest level of Outlook integration.

Message Platform Connectivity Examples

The following table lists a number of messaging platform providers along with the features available through the OpenProtocols Connector.
Many of these providers are in the process of building support for the OpenProtocols Connector into their platforms (you may wish to use the status report
within the connector to verify the level of functionality provided).

Platform

Mail

Calendar

Contacts

Notes

Tasks

Groups

Free/Busy

Sharing

Global Address List

Apple iCloud

Apple Calendar Server

Atmail

FastMail

Fruux

IceWarp

Kerio

MailEnable

Open-Xchange App Suite

Oracle (OCUCS)

SmarterMail

Yahoo!

Zimbra

* Dash denotes that the feature is not applicable to the nominated service.
* Question mark denotes an unconfirmed status, please check with vendor.
* Cross denotes that the feature does not appear to be available (and may not be fully available within Outlook).

* All messaging platforms named above are respectively trademarked by their owners. If you wish to submit a platform, please use the feedback form submitting the status report (and we will review and update the above matrix).

Outlook® IMAP Comparison

The following table provides a comparison between Outlook® when configured using IMAP, and Outlook® configured using the OpenProtocols Connector.

Feature

IMAP

OpenProtocols

Email Messages

Email Folders

Server Contacts

Server Calendar

Server Tasks

Contact Groups

Sharing/Collaboration

Global Address List

Server Notes

Integrated Free Busy

Public Folders

Offline Support

Generic Functionalities

The following table outlines the functionalities that the connector provides via IMAP/CalDAV/CardDAV/SMTP protocols.

Feature

Implementation

Description

Calendar

CalDAV

The calendar folder is located and transacted through CalDAV.

Contacts

CardDAV

The calendar folder is located and transacted through CardDAV.

Tasks

CalDAV

The connector will query the calendar home set for a folder that is a calendar resource, and refines the search by testing if the folder name controls /Tasks/.

Message Folders

IMAP

Folders are delivered to the client via IMAP using the LIST command.

Message Notifications

IMAP

The connector will use IDLE if it is available. If it is not available, then it will issue NOOP commands to the server every 20 seconds to check for changes. Folders are subscribed by a listener once they have been activated by the client GUI.

Contact Groups

CalDAV

-

Global Address List

CalDAV

The Connector will provide a Global Address List if the backend service publishes a Global Address List as a DAV collection.

Notes

IMAP

Notes are implemented as an IMAP folder called Notes.

Free/Busy Support

CalDAV Scheduling

The connector queries for the Scheduling Outbox supported by the CalDAV server and issues free and busy requests to the server.

The connector maintains a transaction of message operations and replays these operations once connected online

Notes

IMAP

-

Extended Functionalities

The following table outlines possible supported functionalities, if the service provider provides extensions beyond those defined in OpenProtocols (IMAP/CalDAV/CardDAV/SMTP).

Feature

Implementation

Description

Out Of Office

Extension

The Connector will not provide this unless the backend service has a specific extension to do so

Move Folders with SubFolders and Content

IMAP

-

Copy Existing Folder Structure and Contents to a New Folder

Requires IMAP X-COPYFOLDER Extension

Without the extension, the operation is denied. The workaround for the user is to make a new folder and copy contents into the folder. ie: the limitation is just copying a folder hierarchy and inclusive messages. When a client attempts to do the operation, they will get an error saying that the copy operation could not be performed